The invention generally relates to compression garments, and more particularly relates to a medical compression garment that can easily be donned and removed.
Compression garments are generally provided to treat persons who have edema or swelling in a limb or other body part. Edema is a common condition that may occur as a result of surgeries such as water-assisted liposuction, certain medications or medical conditions, pregnancy, immobility, and severe injury such as from athletics or sports. Edema can also be caused by genetic underdevelopment, damage to lymphatic pathways, venous insufficiency, and disorders affecting body tissues such as lymphedema, lipedema, and varicose veins. Lymphedema in particular is a very serious condition that is caused by blockage or damage to the fluid drainage routes in the lymphatic system, resulting in fluid accumulation in body tissues and abnormal swelling in the limbs and other parts of the body. Lymphedema can also result from damage to the lymphatic pathways caused by other disorders, including lipedema, in which fat deposits and fluid accumulate in the lower body tissues. Lipedema is especially dangerous since it tends to be misdiagnosed as obesity, and therefore remains untreated for long periods of time. These disorders affect millions of people worldwide and detrimentally affect their physical and emotional quality of life.
Compression garments treat the effects of lymphedema, lipedema, and related disorders by limiting the amount of fluid building up in the limbs and flowing into the body tissues, and by encouraging the movement of fluid among the lymphatic pathways. These garments also provide support to loosened or sagging skin tissues caused by removal of a large amount of fluid from the limb, such as from surgery. To accomplish this, compression garments typically include a material or combination of materials that have compressive properties, such as those sold under the trademarks Lycra® or Spandex®. They are also designed to include graduated compression decreasing from the limb to the center of the body to direct fluid away from the limbs, and to have varying levels of pressure depending on the severity of the edema. For example, Class 1 compression garments (˜15-20 mmHg) provide relief from minor edema, Class 2 compression garments (20-30 mmHg) provide relief from moderate varicose veins, lipedema and lymphedema, Class 3 compression garments (30-40 mmHg) provide relief from severe lymphedema, lipedema and deep venous thrombosis, and Class 4 compression garments (>40 mmHg) serve the most challenging cases. Consultation with a physician is typically required for Class 2 and higher compression garments.
As a result of their compressive properties, compression garments are typically very cumbersome to don and remove, unlike non-compressive clothing. Traditional compression garments must be pulled along the wearer's limbs transversely to the direction of the garments' pressure when putting on or taking off these garments. This can prove quite difficult where the wearer must be fitted in a high pressure garment (e.g. Class 3) due to severe edema, where the wearer has limited arm or hand strength, or where the wearer has limited mobility such as from arthritis. Medical professionals suggest various tips to wear these garments, such as putting it on immediately in the morning before a shower or bath, turning the garment inside-out and easing it up the limb one bit at a time, applying talcum powder to the limb, and avoiding moisturizers on the skin until the nighttime; however, attempting to remember all of these details can be daunting. While donning aids such as rubber gloves, stocking donners, lotions, and the like provide some assistance, such aids have to be purchased separately and can be relatively expensive. An easier way for a person to don and doff his or her own compression garment is therefore desired.
Also unlike non-compressive garments, compression garments require many important considerations to take into account in their manufacture and use. Compression garments must be perfectly fitted to the wearer; if they are too loose, they will not control swelling, and if they are too tight, they will restrict blood flow. Inaccurate measurements, or poorly manufactured compression garments, can cause severe pain and discomfort to the wearer. The class of compressive garment also determines its method of manufacture; circular knitted garments are produced in one piece with a fixed number of needles and without a seam, and therefore are only recommended for mild to moderate edema, while flat-bed knitted garments are produced in multiple pieces joined together with a seam, and are therefore recommended for moderate to severe edema. Wearers of compression garments must not fold over the top of the garment or turn back the hand-piece or foot of the garment when they are wearing it for long periods of time, since the amount of compression against the skin will double and possibly worsen the swelling. Wearers must also ensure they do not have wrinkles, creases, or folds in the material as they are wearing the compression garment, since these can damage the skin underneath the garment or cause a tourniquet effect that worsens the swelling.
In the case of wearers of lower body compression garments, the ability of these wearers to use the restroom is also an important issue. People who wear compression garments generally have to wear it several hours a day, for weeks, months, or years at a time, even for the rest of their lives. Due to the aforementioned difficulty in putting on and taking off these garments, compression garment manufacturers typically provide a fixed opening cut near the groin for the purpose of solid and liquid waste removal. Yet, requiring sole usage of the waste removal opening is undesirable since the compression garment may be soiled by solid or liquid waste that does not sufficiently clear the opening. Moreover, access to the opening for cleaning is limited when seated since the compression applied by the garment naturally forces the legs towards each other. To bypass these issues, medical professionals typically recommend people to wear thigh high or knee high compression stockings as they do not require removal prior to restroom usage. However, this alternative is inadequate for people who need to treat edema above the thighs, as is typically the case in severe lipedema, and it may have a tendency for slipping unless a silicone grip top band or adhesive is used. As a result, these people must wear lower body compression garments extending to the waist, such as compression pantyhose, leggings, tights, pants, trousers, shorts, and the like. An easier doffing solution facilitating restroom usage by wearers of these types of lower body compression garments is therefore desired.
Hence, there is a need for a medical compression garment that allows wearers to more easily don and remove the garment on their own. There is also a need for a medical compression garment that facilitates restroom usage without requiring sole usage of a fixed opening in the garment near the groin for solid and waste removal, thus reducing the risk of inadvertently soiling the garment. The present invention meets these and other needs.